Medical marijuana

As someone with 40 years of legal experience, several of which were spent as a Cook County prosecutor, I find it unfortunate that a handful of law-enforcement lobbyists have claimed such a large stake in what is essentially a health-care issue: medical cannabis

The reasons given by some law-enforcement lobbyists for opposing a medical marijuana law in Illinois are merely scare tactics designed to frighten legislators away from an issue that they should be embracing.

The claim that medical cannabis laws enacted to help the sick and dying will cause more youth to use marijuana is a mistaken view based upon the experience in the medical cannabis states.

Courtrooms are for criminals, not medical patients.

Unfortunately current Illinois law does not make a distinction between the medical and nonmedical use of cannabis.

The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program would correct this injustice.

It is time for lawmakers to listen to science and reason rather than scare tactics and pass this legislation immediately.